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Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that Sennott holds plenty to say, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. And, by the end the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, naming it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the show depicting an emerging A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for this project came—in part—from personal, originally difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her learn some big life lessons, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” she comments. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant